1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus that can automatically rotate a jump rope.
2. Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,739,985 issued to Rudell et al., discloses a motorized unit that can automatically rotate a jump rope. The motorized unit includes a motorized rotating hub that can be coupled to one end of a jump rope. The hub can be coupled to a pedestal so that the jump rope can rotate about a horizontal axis. The other end of the jump rope can be attached to a post or other stationary object. The apparatus allows the players to “jump rope” without manually swinging the rope. The apparatus also has a vertical mode wherein a hub platform is laid on the ground and the rope swings about a vertical axis. A player(s) then jumps over the swinging rope.
The Rudell motorized unit has an on/off switch located on the hub platform. Unfortunately, it is difficult to reach the platform and turn off the switch while jumping rope. The patent addresses this issue by describing a wireless transmitter that can be worn by the user to turn the motorized hub on and off. Wireless transmitters add to the cost of the product and are susceptible to damage, thereby rending the apparatus inoperative. The patent also describes the use of a pull string, but the string may become entangled with the rope.
The owner of the '985 patent had developed a product that included a timer. The timer would control the time interval at which the motorized hub would be active. Unfortunately, the user had no indication of when the motor was to start or end. Additionally, there is not indication of the speed of the motor.
The jump rope is attached to a crank arm of the Rudell motorized unit. To prevent injury it would be desirable to have the crank arm release from the hub in response to a threshold force, typically applied by the user. It would also be desirable to limit the movement of the released crank arm and jump rope to prevent these objects from flying and injuring participants.
There have been marketed a number of jump rope games such as SKIP-IT, TWIRL N JUMP, SKIP STICK and STICK-N-ROPE that all required manual activation of the rope.